Q. Who has studied Photonic Light Therapy?
A. The following is a sample list of scientific institutions that have conducted clinical studies on the efficacy of Photonic Light Therapy
Stanford University, Palo Alto, California
National Cancer Institute
Massachusetts General Hospital, Wellman Labs
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C.
Kingston Regional Cancer Centre, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario
Royal Brisbane Hospital, Physiotherapy Department, Herston, Queensland, Australia 4029
St. James Hospital, Department of Vascular Surgery, Dublin, Ireland.
Institute of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, University of Padua and Associazione Italiana per la Ricercae, l' Aggiornamento Scientifico, Padua, Italy.
Q: What is the Difference between LED's and LASERS?
Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are another form of light therapy that is a relatively recent development of the laser industry. LEDs are similar to lasers inasmuch as they have the same healing effects but differ in the way that the light energy is delivered. A significant difference between lasers and LEDs is the power output. The peak power output of LEDs is measured in milliwatts, while that of lasers is measured in watts. However, this difference when considered alone is misleading, since the most critical factor that determines the amount of energy delivered is the duty cycle of the device.
LED devices usually have a 50% duty cycle. That is, the LED pulse is "on" for 0.5 seconds and "off" for 0.5 seconds versus the 2 ten-millionths of a second burst from laser at 1 cycle per second (1hz). Moreover, LED is "on" 50% of the time and "off" 50% of the time regardless of what frequency setting (pulses per second) is used.
In the majority of lasers on the market, the energy output varies with the frequency setting: the lower the frequency, the lower the output. In the Omnilight system on the contrary, the output is constant regardless of frequency. Even in the case of lasers that claim a peak output of 10 watts, because of the very short duty cycle, the average output at the highest frequencies is of the order of about 10 milliwatts. At the lower frequencies, however, the average output plummets into the range of microwatts (1 microwatt = 1000th of 1 milliwatt).
LEDs do not deliver enough power to damage the tissue, but they do deliver enough energy to stimulate a response from the body to heal itself. With a low peak power output but high duty cycle, the LEDs provide a much gentler delivery of the same healing wavelengths of light as does the laser but at a substantially greater energy output. For this reason, LEDs do not have the same risk of accidental eye damage that lasers do.
Moreover, LEDs are neither coherent nor collimated and they generate a broader band of wavelengths than do the single-wavelength laser. Non-collimation and the wide-angle diffusion of the LED confers upon it a greater ease of application, since light emissions are thereby able to penetrate a broader surface area. Moreover, the multiplicity of wavelengths in the LED, contrary to the single-wavelength laser, may enable it to affect a broader range of tissue types and produce a wider range of photochemical reactions in the tissue.
If LED light disperses over a greater surface area, it results in a faster treatment time for a given area than laser. The primary reason that Omnilight chose the LEDs over lasers is that LEDs are safer, more cost effective, provide a gentle but effective delivery of light and a greater energy output per unit of surface area in a given time duration. They are offered in combinations of visible red light at 660nm and infrared light at from 830nm to 930nm, with 880nm as their average.
Q. What is phototherapy or photon therapy?
Light therapy has also been given the name "photonic" and is sometimes
also referred to as photontherapy, photodynamic therapy and LED light
therapy. A study done by the Mayo Clinic in 1989 suggests that the results
of light therapy are a direct effect of light itself, generated at specific
wavelengths, and are not necessarily a function of the characteristics of
coherency and polarization associated with lasers. In a study entitled
Low-Energy Laser Therapy: Controversies and New Research Findings, Jeffrey
R. Basford, M.D. of the Mayo Clinic's Department of Physical Medicine and
Rehabilitation, suggests that the coherent aspect of laser may not be the
source of its therapeutic effect. He states "firstly, the stimulating
effects (from therapeutic light) are reported following irradiation with
non-laser sources and secondly, tissue scattering, as well as fiber optic
delivery systems used in many experiments rapidly degrade coherency . . .
Thus any effects produced by low-energy lasers may be due to the effects of
light in general and not to the unique properties of lasers.
Q. Where can I read more about LED Light Therapy?
Links:
www.ledresearch.net
NASA has published research demonstrating that LED's are optimal in promoting "wound healing and human tissue growth". National Geographic Magazine, in January of 2001 described LED technology as "the lights that heal" and a recent issue of Newsweek's stated that LED's showed "great promise in pain relief." The site www.laser.nu contains over 400 research abstracts on LED therapy.
REFERENCES
The Photobiological Basis of Low Level Laser Radiation Therapy, Kendric C. Smith; Stanford University School of Medicine; Laser Therapy, Vol. 3, No. 1, Jan - Mar 1991
Low-Energy Laser Therapy: Controversies & Research Findings, Jeffrey R. Basford MD; Mayo Clinic; Lasers in Surgery and Medicine 9, pp. 1-5 (1989)
New Biological Phenomena Associated with Laser Radiation, M.I. Belkin & U. Schwartz; Tel-Aviv University; Health Physics, Vol. 56, No. 5, May 1989; pp. 687-690
Macrophage Responsiveness to Light Therapy, S Young PhD, P Bolton BSc, U Dyson PhD, W Harvey PhD, & C Diamantopoulos BSc; London: Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, 9; pp. 497-505 (1989)
Photobiology of Low-Power Laser Effects, Tina Karu PhD; Laser Technology Centre of Russia; Health Physics, Vol. 56, No. 5. May 89, pp. 691-704
A Review of Low Level Laser Therapy, S Kitchen MSCMCSP & C Partridge PhD; Centre for Physiotherapy Research, King's College London Physiotherapy, Vol. 77, No. 3, March 1991
Systemic Effects of Low-Power Laser Irradiation on the Peripheral & Central Nervous System, Cutaneous Wounds & Burns, S Rochkind MD, M Rousso MD, M Nissan PhD, M Villarreal MD, L Barr-Nea PhD. & DG Rees PhD,
Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, 9; pp. 174-182 (1989)
Use of Laser Light to Treat Certain Lesions in Standardbreds, L.S McKibbin DVM, & D Paraschak BSc., MA; Mod
Veterinary Practice, March 1984, Sec. 3, p. 13
Low Level Laser Therapy: Current Clinical Practice In Northern Ireland, GD Baxter BSc, AJ Bet, MA,,JM AtienPhD, J Ravey PhD; Blamed Research Centre University Ulster Physiotherapy, Vol. 77, No. 3, March 1991
The Effects of Low Energy Laser on Soft Tissue in Veterinary Medicine, LS McKibbin & R Downie; The Acupuncture Institute, Ontario Canada; J. Wiley & Sons
A Study of the Effects or Lasering of Chronic Bowed Tendons, Wheatley, LS McKibbin DVM, and DM Paraschak Bsc MA; Lasers in Surg &Medicine, Vol. pp. 55-59 (1983) Scc 3
Lasers and Wound Healing, Albert J. Nemeth, MD; Laser and Dermatology Center, Clearwater FL, Dermatologic Clinics, Vol.. 11 #4, 1993
Low Level Laser Therapy: A Practical Introduction, T. Ohshiro & RG Caiderhead, Wiley and Sons
Low Reactive-Level Laser Therapy: A Practical Application, T. Ohshiro;Book:Wiley and Sons
Laser Biostimulation of Healing Wounds: Specific Effects and Mechanisms of Action, Chukuka S Enwemeka, PhD; Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy - U. of Texas, Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX; The Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, Vol. 9. No.10, 1988
Effect of Helium-Neon and Infrared Laser Irradiation on Wound Healing in Rabbits, B Braverman, PhD; R McCarthy. Pharmd, A Lyankovich, MD; D Forde, BS, M Overfield, BS and M Bapna, PhD; Rush- Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center; University of Illinois, Lasers in Surgery and Medicine 9:50-58 (1989)
Bone Fracture Consolidates Faster With Low-Power Laser, MA Trelles, MD and E Mayayo, MD, Barcelona, Spain; Lasers in Surgery & Med. 7:36-45 (1987)
Wound Management with Whirlpool and Infrared Cold Laser Treatment, P Gogia; B Hurt and T Zim; AMI-Park Plaza Hospital, Houston TX, Physical Therapy, Vol. 68, No. 8, August 1988
Effects of Low-Level Energy Lasers on the Healing of Full-Thickness Skin Defects, J Surinchak. MA; M Alago, BS,, R Bellamy, MD; B Stuck, MS and M Belkin, MD; Lettennan Army Institute of Research. Presidio of San Francisco, CA; Lasers in Surgery & Medicine, 2:267-274 (1983)
Biostimulation of Wound Healing by Lasers: Experimental Approaches in Animal Models and in Fibroblast Cultures, RP Abergel, MD; R Lyons. MD; J Castel, MS, R Dwyer. MD and i Uitlo. MD, PhD; Harbor UCLA Medical Center. CA: J Dennatol. Surgery Oncol., 13:2 Feb. 1987
Effects of Low Energy Laser on Wound Healing In a Porcine Model, J Hunter, MD; L Leonard, MD; R Wilsom MD; G Snider, MD and J D Lxon, MD; Department of Surgery, University of Utah Medical Center, Salt Lake City UT, Lasers in Surgery & Med. 3:285-290, 84
Effect of Laser Rays on Wound Healing, E Mester, MD; T Spiry, MD; B Szende. MD and J Tola; Semmelweis Medical Univ. Budapest, The American Journal of Surgery. Vol 122, Oct 1971
Low Level Laser Therapy in the United Kingdom, Kevin C Moore, MD; The Royal Oldham Hospital, Oldhant, UK
Effects of Skin-Contact Monochromatic Infrared Irradiation on Tendonitis, Capsulitis and Myofascial Pain, T.L Thomassoi DDS, 19th Annual Scientific Meeting, American Academy of Neurological & Orthopaedic Surgeons, Aug. 27-30, 1995 Facial Pain/TMJ Centre, Denver, CO
Q: Where do I send my equipment should it need repairs?
A: Omnilight equipment is extremely well designed and considered on the forefront of technology. Should you happen to experience any problems please contact us.
Send all equipment for repair to Omnilight at the address below. Please include a note indicating the problem, include your address and a daytime phone so we can respond promptly and to inform you that your repair is complete and ready to ship back to you.
Omnilight
3412 B Vista Alameda NE
Albuquerque, NM 87113-2157
Toll Free: 800-388-2712
Direct Phone: 505-797-1076
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